HARTFORD — A bill to raise the state's minimum wage from $8.25 to $9.75 in two stages advanced Thursday, but its prospects appear iffy.

As expected, the Labor and Public Employees Committee voted along party lines to approve the bill. The 7-4 vote sends the measure to the Senate.

The proposed increase's chances of passing seem questionable, though, based on remarks House Speaker J. Brendan Sharkey, D-Hamden, made a couple hours before the committee's vote. Sharkey questioned whether now is the right time to increase the basic hourly rate while the state's economic recovery continues to be sluggish.

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